Gobbledygeek episode 345, “The X-Files: Season 9 (feat. Wesley Mead),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

The truth is out there, or so we’ve been told. As Paul, Arlo, and special British guest Wesley “Wezzo” Mead reach The X-Files season 9 and find the series’ original finale “The Truth,” they wonder if they should have just left it out there. Despite ostensibly having new leads in Doggett and Reyes, Chris Carter & Co. cling to Scully and Mulder–the former is a bored-looking recurring character, the latter is literally no longer on the show–harder than ever before. The gang discusses why Carter’s inability to let go of the show’s past hinders its present, how the character of Dana Scully is destroyed, and whether or not “The Truth” is truly one of the worst series finales in TV history. (Spoiler: it is.) Plus, Arlo and Paul get down with killer clowns with Terrifier and Deadpool 2.

Art from ‘Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1″ by George Pérez, Bruce D. Patterson, and Tatjana Wood.

Gobbledygeek episode 344, “Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1 (feat. Heather Wiley),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

In the winding, physics-defying halls of Mount Olympus, the idea for the noble Amazon race was hatched among the gods. In the presumably plain, ordinary offices of DC Comics circa 1987, the idea to reboot one of their most iconic heroes was hashed out by George Pérez, Greg Potter, Len Wein, Karen Berger, and more. And on this typically long, rambling podcast, Paul and Arlo continue this year’s superheroic Four-Color Flashback by discussing Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1, collecting the first 14 issues of Diana’s post-Crisis series. Heather Wiley joins them to discuss how Pérez revitalized the character by leaning hard into her mythological aspects; why it’s important that the series touches on uncomfortable subject matter; the minute details that make Pérez such a terrific artist; and why this run hasn’t lodged its place in the public consciousness alongside The Dark Knight Returns and Man of Steel. Plus, Heather fails to keep quiet about Hush, and Paul reads comics.

Next: we inch closer to oblivion with Wesley Mead, who joins us once more to discuss Chris Carter’s seminal sci-fi series The X-Files. This time? It’s season 9, the original final season. So. Yeah.

Gobbledygeek episode 343, “Avengers: Infinity War – Oh Snap!,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

A feat even more miraculous than Paul and Arlo agreeing on the same movie? Successfully juggling a cast of dozens in an interplanetary epic that shakes up the world’s most popular film series. That’s exactly what Joe & Anthony Russo have done with Avengers: Infinity War, a daring space opera that acts as a culmination of a decade’s worth of superheroic blockbusters while taking the Marvel Cinematic Universe in new directions. The boys discuss how (nearly) each character gets their due, why Josh Brolin’s Thanos more than lives up to the hype, and where the MCU goes from here. Plus, Arlo binges the Disney Renaissance and MoviePass takes an unsurprising heel turn.

Gobbledygeek episode 342, “Captain America and the Falcon: Secret Empire (feat. Ensley F. Guffey),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

An American feels betrayed by his government, which has revealed itself to be nothing but a bureaucratic system designed to conceal criminal activity. Sounds familiar, right? It’s also the basis for the superhero classic Captain America and the Falcon: Secret Empire. Steve Englehart, Mike Friedrich, and Sal Buscema’s Nixon-era tale finds Cap on the run from a populace that no longer trusts him. Joining Paul and Arlo for this Four-Color Flashback installment is Wanna Cook? author and Cap superfan Ensley F. Guffey. The gang discusses why a story like this couldn’t be told today, how it’s difficult to understand Watergate’s importance given today’s political climate, the uncomfortable jive-talkin’ racial stereotypes, and why the outrageous cornball of old superhero comics doesn’t dilute its power. Plus, Arlo makes an apology and the gang shares what comics they’ve been reading.

Gobbledygeek episode 341, “A Quiet Place: STFU (feat. Nate Curtiss),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Shh. Keep it down or you’ll miss the latest episode of Gobbledygeek, wherein Paul and Arlo are joined by their pal Nate Curtiss for a discussion of John Krasinski’s horror-thriller A Quiet Place. The nearly wordless film, which makes extensive use of subtitled American Sign Language, presents a unique theatergoing experience; every gulp of soda and crunch of popcorn reverberates throughout the auditorium. The gang talks about their different theater experiences, and how the film reveals the true heart of an audience; why it’s important Krasinski cast deaf actress Millicent Simmonds; how Krasinski’s lack of horror experience proves to be a strength; and more. Plus, Paul digs on TV sci-fi: Final Space, Lost in Space, The Expanse, and Legion.

Gobbledygeek episode 340, “Batman: A Death in the Family (feat. Kenn Edwards),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

For the (belated) inaugural installment of Four-Color Flashback 2018, wherein Paul and Arlo will be discussing a different classic superhero story each month, they’ve recruited their old pal Kenn Edwards to help them discuss Batman: A Death in the Family by writer Jim Starlin and artist Jim Aparo. Kenn knows a thing or two about the Caped Crusader, having been part of the Batman Immortal fan film project. However, he’s never read this particular story, in which the Joker savagely beats Robin to death. That puts him on equal footing with our hosts: it’s one of Arlo’s blind spots and Paul hasn’t read it since it was published in 1988. They’re all a little shocked by how anachronistic its goofy plotting and dialogue seem given its release in a post-Dark Knight Returns landscape. Superhero comics were starting to mature, and this one feels like it may have gotten left behind. The gang discusses the impact of Robin’s death; whether Bruce’s hypocrisy is a bug or a feature; the ludicrous political implications of the Joker’s scheme; and why the follow-up story A Lonely Place of Dying is much better. Plus, Arlo is still watching Disney cartoons.

Next: be vewwy, vewwy quiet. The boys and their pal Nate Curtiss are hunting Krasinskis for a discussion of A Quiet Place.

Gobbledygeek episode 339, “The X-Files: Season 8 (feat. Wesley Mead),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

This week, Wesley “Wezzo” Mead stops by for more abuse. He joins Paul and Arlo to once again discuss Chris Carter’s seminal sci-fi series The X-Files; this time, the gang talks season 8, the last pre-revival season to feature David Duchovny as a (semi-)regular. They discuss how frustrating it is the show can’t let go of Duchovny when it clearly needs to; why the introduction of Robert Patrick as John Doggett is so strong; how, despite some real stinkers, this is the most consistent the show has been in years; and how Carter & Co. continue to put Scully in boxes that conform to gender stereotypes. Plus, Wezzo has more obscure Netflix recommendations, Paul is obsessed with the forthcoming Spider-Man game for PS4, and–guess what–Arlo ropes Wezzo into discussing politics again.

Next: this year’s Four-Color Flashback gets off to a belated start as Kenn Edwards drops by to discuss Batman: A Death in the Family.